The San Jose Sharks have made a coaching change just before the start of the draft. News broke Friday morning that the club has fired Bob Boughner after two-plus seasons with the club. He missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in all three years with the club.
#SJSharks have relieved head coach Bob Boughner, assistant coaches John Madden and John MacLean, and assistant coach, video Dan Darrow of their responsibilities. https://t.co/S6ZoEo9vEs
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) July 1, 2022
San Jose Sharks Complete Coaching Change
This was Boughner’s second stint in charge of an NHL team. He coached the Florida Panthers in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Boughner missed the post-season in both of those campaigns. He has a career record of 147-147-45 in his two head coaching stops.
The Windsor, Ontario native played 10 seasons in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes. He totaled 15 goals and 57 assists for 72 points in 630 career games. The player known as “The Boogieman” also racked up 1,382 penalty minutes in his long career. The Detroit Red Wings drafted Boughner in the second round, 32nd overall of the 1989 NHL Draft.
The 51-year-old finished his tenure with the Sharks with a 67-85-23 record after taking over from Peter DeBoer. Boughner took charge 33 games into the 2019-20 season.
What it Means
The Sharks coaching change comes with just a week away from the NHL Draft. San Jose also doesn’t have a general manager, but it seems that the team is nearing the end of the process. This could mean the team already has a general manager in place and wants to start with a fresh face. Names like Mike Grier and Ray Whitney have come up in talks for the post. Both would be first-time general managers if one of them is hired.
Boughner’s firing comes late in the offseason calendar and hinders him and his staff’s chance to get jobs. The league has filled plenty of openings and Boughner might have gotten a shot at an interview for a head coach or assistant coach job.
It’s a turbulent time in Sharks history after the relative stability that Doug Wilson provided in his 19 seasons in charge of the team as GM.
